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NuWho Rewatch: The Rings of Akhaten
The Rings of Akhaten introduces us to one of NuWho's only completely alien worlds. Possibly its the only completely alien NuWho story (I'm not sure). Here the value of things is measured in terms of the personal significance of objects which, in turns, ties into the angry god hidden in the sun who must be sung to sleep.
Having noted that The Bells of St. John was very reminiscent of one of RTD's season openers, I was struck, in re-watching The Rings of Akhaten, how reminiscient it was of The End of the World (Rose's second story). This is the story in which Clara is first introduced to the wider universe, a place full of strange aliens and stranger customs. She doesn't react with quite the shock that Rose did, but then, by this point, there is less need to introduce the audience to these concepts. However the story nevertheless takes the time to state/re-iterate fundamental tenets "we don't run away" (interesting that the current season is, in part, about how the Doctor does run away). There are also visual similarites: Clara standing on the viewing platform before the blazing sun vs. Rose at the viewing window facing the remains of the Earth.
There is a lot to like here, though the actual plot is fairly thin and not terribly well explained. What actually went wrong to wake up the sleeping god? Why did it kidnap the little girl?
The Rings of Akhaten is a competent episode but, to be honest, oddly forgettable. Lots of the trappings of Clara that get introduced around now - the book, the leaf, turn out to be irrelevant and the show does not need, yet, to retell the story of what it is and how it works. The Doctor is no longer a mystery to be unravelled and so this is mostly, more of the same, as opposed to something that moves matters forward.
Having noted that The Bells of St. John was very reminiscent of one of RTD's season openers, I was struck, in re-watching The Rings of Akhaten, how reminiscient it was of The End of the World (Rose's second story). This is the story in which Clara is first introduced to the wider universe, a place full of strange aliens and stranger customs. She doesn't react with quite the shock that Rose did, but then, by this point, there is less need to introduce the audience to these concepts. However the story nevertheless takes the time to state/re-iterate fundamental tenets "we don't run away" (interesting that the current season is, in part, about how the Doctor does run away). There are also visual similarites: Clara standing on the viewing platform before the blazing sun vs. Rose at the viewing window facing the remains of the Earth.
There is a lot to like here, though the actual plot is fairly thin and not terribly well explained. What actually went wrong to wake up the sleeping god? Why did it kidnap the little girl?
The Rings of Akhaten is a competent episode but, to be honest, oddly forgettable. Lots of the trappings of Clara that get introduced around now - the book, the leaf, turn out to be irrelevant and the show does not need, yet, to retell the story of what it is and how it works. The Doctor is no longer a mystery to be unravelled and so this is mostly, more of the same, as opposed to something that moves matters forward.
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